Bless All The Little Beasties
by TaggertShare
Summary: Based on W2CAL. A poor growing season means Care Bears and beasts of the forest could face possible hunger during the winter. The Bears need to pool their resources. Grumpy has plenty stored away but does not want to share his food. He gets a lesson in caring and sharing from an unlikey source. Grumpy discovers there is more to Beastly and his minions than meets the eye.


Share and Wonder Heart had spent a nice day foraging for nuts and berries in The Forest of Feelings. It had been a pleasant day. It was not a fruitful one. It was quite evident this would not be a year of plenty. As they approached Tender Heart's home Wonder Heart ran up to him. "Oh Uncle Tender Heart, we didn't find too much to eat. I wonder if we'll go hungry this year?"

"Now, now, little one. The weather this year has made for a poor year for growing things. But if we share our resources and spend our Care Credits wisely no Bear should have to go hungry." Share looked a little distraught. "It's just not Bears we should worry about. The animals in The Forest of Feelings may be in for a lean winter. I hope I can keep a nice supply of seeds and bread crumbs in my bird feeder. They are going to need it."

Tender Heart sighed,"I guess I'll call for a meeting in The Hall of Hearts. We Bears need to do some planning. You are right, it could be a lean winter. Better to be safe than sorry. We had better pool our resources and share with those who don't have enough."

Grumpy Bear was grumbling to himself. The meeting in the Hall of Hearts had dragged on and on. He wasn't worried about a food shortage. He had plenty of canned berries and vegetables hidden away in a secret hollowed out tree. It was near where he most preferred to park his Care a van. Share and Cheer were always giving him jars of jams, jellies and honey. He had many full jars stuffed in the nooks and crannies of his Care a van. As he thought of the supplies in the tree and his van Grumpy smiled and rubbed his tummy. "Well tummy, we should have a good winter. This food is for you and me only!"

Beastly checked the fire pit in his cave. Then he checked on the two sleeping Beasties. He may be a Beast, but that didn't stop Beastly from caring for his minions. He carefully put a tattered blanket on the sleeping Beasties. Beastly was worried. He had barely enough food stored away for his own needs. How could he keep his belly full and those of The Beasties too? It was not in his nature to ask for help.

Beastly sighed as he lay down on his bed of boughs and old tattered blankets. As the wind blew outside the little cave held fast. It wasn't the most fancy place to live. It was a dry place out of the wind. The little fire with it's glowing embers kept those inside the cave warm. If only there was lots of food to cook over it. As Beastly dozed off snow began to fall outside. The winter of little to eat had begun.

"Don't wander too far off you two" Beastly yelled. Ahead of him the beasties booties left little prints in the snow. Near Grumpy's parked Care a van they found a jar of apple jelly lying in the snow near his paw prints. The beasties giggled with delight as they showed Beastly what they had found. The three beasts headed home for a meal of toasted bread and jelly.

After they had entered the cave Beastly stirred the still glowing embers and added some wood to the fire pit. "Okay you two, sit while I take off your booties. I need to dry them by the fire." "Uh huh" said the Beasties. They sat as Beastly got a wash cloth, a bowl of warm water, and a towel. Beastly the Beast then tenderly washed their faces, ears, hand paws and foot paws. Then the three Beasts had their meal of toasted bread and jelly. At least tonight they would not go to bed hungry.

Beastly tucked the tattered blanket around the Beasties. Then he went to a crevice in the rocks and removed a tattered photo album. He looked at a picture of a Care Cousin Raccoon and Ring Tailed Lemur standing side by side. Then he looked at a picture of a Mother raccoon holding two babies. The mother didn't look healthy. The babies looked like they were under weight. As he looked at the picture a tear ran down Beastly's cheek. "I'm doing all I can to keep my promise to you" he said to the picture. He put the album back in the crevice and lay down for a restless night's sleep.

Grumpy was putting some supplies into the cupboard. He had gone to his tree stash to get them. "Wait a minute" he muttered to himself. "There is only one jar of jelly here. I thought I got two." Then he noticed a hole in the bag. He decided he had better go outside to see if the jar had fallen into the snow. It was really cold and icy outside. "I'd better throw some booties on my foot paws" Grumpy mumbled. "I don't need no ice cuts on my toes." After going outside he soon found the tracks left by the Beasties. He could see the imprint in the snow where his jar of jelly had fallen. "Why those dirty little Beasties! I have half a mind to track them down! It is getting late so I'll do it tomorrow."

The next morning Grumpy checked his secret stash of food. It was undisturbed. Still he didn't like the idea of The Beasties sneaking around. He was afraid they would find his food stash. He decided to see what they were up to. He put on a pair of booties and mittens. Even with his fur the air felt chilly. He threw some supplies in his carry all and began to track down The Beasties.

Beastly and The Beasties had awakened to a cold dawn. The Beasties sat shivering as Beastly re-stoked the fire. During the night it had been too cold to go outside to use the outhouse. After getting the fire stoked up Beastly wrinkled his nose as he picked up the pee pot. The Beasties giggled as he gingerly carried it outside. They remembered what had happened one winter day last year. Beastly had tripped sending the pee pot and it's contents flying. It took a while for Beastly to get that mess cleaned up!

After doing the unpleasant chore Beastly washed his hand paws in a basin of cold water. The homemade lye soap may not smell good, but it was a good cleaner. Then he set about cooking some rolled oats in a pot of boiling water. He felt guilty about how little food there was in the pot. He put two ladles of oatmeal in each of The Beasties wooden bowls. Then he put some honey on the steaming food and handed the bowls to The Beasties. Then he put the remaining oatmeal in the pot into his bowl. It was only one ladle full.

Grumpy slowly snuck up to the cave entrance. He decided to spy on The Beasts to see what they were up too. He had always felt a bit of hatred for them, even though he knew that was wrong of him. Care Bears are not supposed to hate. He was shocked to see how humble their home was. He could see how little food there was in their meager meal. He could not believe how tenderly Beastly washed their faces with a wash cloth after they had eaten. Then his ears picked up something even more unbelievable.

"I am sorry I didn't toast any bread this morning for you two" Beastly said as he carried their empty bowls to the little spring that served as their faucet and their sink. "We don't have much flour or yeast so I can't bake as much bread as I would like. Too bad you couldn't have found more jelly, it sure came in handy."

The Beasties looked up at him and sounded like they were saying "yeah". As Grumpy watched he felt a tug at his heart. The Beasties looked happy even though they were living in poverty. Grumpy could clearly see that they had few Worldly possessions. He suddenly understood why Beastly and the Beasties had been sneaking around. Grumpy quietly slipped away and headed home. He had much to think about.

Grumpy was sipping tea and eating oatmeal cookies. He was enjoying the warmth and good smells of Share's kitchen. Cheer looked worried as she sipped her tea. Share brought another pot of tea to the table and sat down. "Are you sure the Beasties are that hard up?" Cheer asked. The look on Grumpy's face told her he wasn't kidding. "They have it pretty bad" Grumpy said. "Then we must try to help them" said Share. "I can't stand the thought of any Bear or Beast going to bed hungry or cold. I just hope they will accept a little help."

The next day Grumpy borrowed a sled from Wonder Heart and packed supplies on to it. Share and Cheer had picked up donations at the food pantry and asked Grumpy if he would deliver them to the Beasties. Share had also cooked up a batch of donuts to donate to the Beasts. Grumpy hated the idea of trekking through the cold snow to deliver food to a bunch of Beasts. Well, maybe if he did it they would keep away from his place. He didn't want them to find his stores of food. No Beast was taking food off his table!

Grumpy began hauling the sled. Before heading out he had filled his carry all with supplies he would need for a trek through the forest. He got delayed by some snow showers. Finally he got close to the cave that was home to the Beasties. "Who or what goes there!?" It was Beastly. "It is I, Grumpy Bear. I need to talk to you, may I come inside?"

Beastly eyed Grumpy suspiciously as he entered the cave dragging the sled. The Beasties ran and hid behind a dilapidated chair made of branches tied together. They looked like scared cubs. Grumpy had never really thought of how young they really were. As they peeked out Grumpy realized they were most likely preteen cubs. Beastly's minions were not what they had appeared to be. It dawned on Grumpy that they may not be Beastly's gang. Could they be part of his family?

"Look Beastly, food is scarce this year and I know you need some. The Care Bears have a food pantry. Those who have plenty donate to the pantry. Those who don't have enough to eat are welcome to pick up some basic food items. Sometimes there are some really good homemade treats donated by those who love to cook. Share and Cheer picked up a few things for you and The Beasties. They asked me to deliver them to you."

Beastly looked suspicious as he peeked into the packages Grumpy placed on a rock ledge. He slowly took out some items and sniffed them. As his nose caught a whiff of fresh donuts his tummy growled loud enough for all those present to hear. He gingerly opened a bag of donuts. The Beasties ran from their hiding place and began to prance around Grumpy and Beastly. "Unh, Unh" they said in their usual unintelligible speech.

Beastly handed each a donut. "Okay you two, go sit by the fire and have a snack." The Beasties eyes gleamed as they took the donuts and sat by the fire. Beastly looked ashamed as he cast his eyes down ward. "Ah, thanks for the food." As he spoke there was the sound of a roaring wind. A sudden snow squall could be seen outside the cave's entrance. The light was fading fast as another cold winter's night began.

Beastly looked distressed as he looked at Grumpy. "This is going to be a night unfit for Bears or Beasts. It may not be safe for you to trek back home. I wish I could give you some nice accommodations for the night. I know you don't trust me but I would never hurt a Bear." Grumpy really felt touched by the look on Beastly's face and his words. He could hear the wind howl as he looked to where the Beasties were finishing their donuts. He felt ashamed that he had once harbored hatred for them.

"Well I have everything I need for the night in my carry all. I'll stay for awhile." He found a place on the floor and took a small sleeping bag out of the carry all and sat on it. As he made himself comfortable he and Beastly engaged in small talk. The Beasties took a checker board out of a crevice and sat playing in a corner.

Grumpy could no longer contain his curiosity. "Just what are you and who are The Beasties?" Without a word Beastly walked to a crevice and took out the battered photo album. He handed it to Grumpy. Even though the firelight was dim Grumpy could see tears in Beastly's eyes. Beastly took a burning stick from the fire and lit a candle. He sat by Grumpy and pointed out some pictures to him.

"My Mother was a Care Cousin Raccoon. My Father was a Care Cousin Ring-tailed Lemur. That is why I am such an odd looking Beast, I am a hybrid." Beastly sighed. "We were a family of misfits, but my parents were always looking out for me." Beastly's voice choked up. "We were poor but they made sure I never lacked for food or love. That is why I have been trying so hard to forage for food for The Beasties. I can't let them go hungry."

Grumpy was almost moved to tears. "Are you their Father?" Beastly pointed to the picture of the sickly looking Mother Raccoon. "Maybe. This is their Mother, Rockelle. I became interested in her when we met in a berry patch. I told her of how my Mother had been a Raccoon. We dated for awhile but she broke it off, saying a relationship between a Beast and a Raccoon could never work out."

Beastly sighed and threw a stick of wood into the fire. "A year later she showed up at my door carrying two cubs. I could see she was ill. She asked if I could help with her cubs while she recovered. I asked if I was their Father. She said maybe, but I can't be sure. I have been a bad girl. As I looked at those underweight cubs she was holding I could not help but fall for the little critters. It didn't matter if they were my cubs or not. I took her and the cubs into my home."

Grumpy could see Beastly's paws shaking as he tried to hold the album steady. "Rockelle was so afraid she would die before her cubs were weaned. But she was able to live long enough. It always worried her that they showed signs of being mentally challenged. Now you know why they don't speak normally. Rockelle told them I was their Uncle, and no matter what happened they would always have their Uncle to look after them. I promised her and them that I would be like a Father to them."

"One day Rockelle came down with the flu. We both knew that it could be fatal to any creature who was already unhealthy. We did get medicine for her. Just when it looked like she would recover she took a turn for the worse. She died holding my paw. Her last words were please forgive me, and take care of my babies. I have watched over them ever since."

Tears were in Grumpy's eyes as he watched Beastly carefully place the photo album back in it's crevice. "I really misjudged you and The Beasties" Grumpy said. "Any Care Bear who needs a lesson in caring should listen to your story." He walked over to his carry all and took out a blanket. He took it where the Beasties were lying on a bed of branches. He carefully placed it over the tattered blanket covering the Beasties. "This is yours to keep." Even though he could not understand what the Beasties said back to him he could tell from the sound of their voices they were grateful. As Grumpy walked back to his sleeping bag he muttered a prayer. "God, Father Star, and Mother Star, bless all the little Beasties."

Grumpy had a hard time sleeping that night. It was not the hard floor or unfamiliar surroundings. He could not get his mind off the story Beastly had told him. Sometimes the greatest lessons in Caring can come from the most humble surroundings. Beastly the Beast and his minions had forever changed Grumpy's attitude toward sharing with others. Before fitfully dozing off he made a pledge to change his ways.

Share, Cheer, and Thanks-a-lot were helping out at the food pantry. The snow squalls that had occurred during the night had only encouraged them to help even more. Several Bears had already come in to get some food supplies. They were suddenly surprised to see Grumpy walk in carrying a bag. "What brings you here, Grumpy?" Share asked. "I'm here to lend a paw and donate some food" said Grumpy.

"Thanks a lot" said Thanks-a-lot. "I never thought a Bear like you would be interested in helping here." Grumpy gave a wry smile and said "I got a special lesson in caring and donating to others. Some little Beasties opened my eyes to what caring and sharing is all about. Having plenty to eat is a blessing. I am here to help you, God, Father Star and Mother Star to give a blessing to all hungry Bears and Beasts who need one."

For the rest of the day Grumpy helped pack bags of food for needy Care Bears, Care Cousins, and any hungry Beast who wandered in. They were surprised to hear Grumpy whistling a happy tune as he helped. Beastly and The Beasties had shown Grumpy that helping others was not a burden, but a blessing. Now it was Grumpy's turn to pass that lesson on to others. As they watched him working they could see that helping others could bring true happiness to one's soul, even to that of a grumpy Bear.


End file.
